Trust me, I get as pissed as the next guy when people start calling it "a fairy tale for gullible people who are afraid of death", and unlike you I wouldn't even classify myself as atheist -- I am not confident enough in my knowledge of the mechanics and very existence of the universe that I can realistically call myself anything other than an absolutely clueless agnostic -- but to dismiss an argument as stupid and pointless just because you've heard it a lot is a path to ignorance.

Being an atheist doesn't automatically mean you have to be super-knowledgeable concerning science. All it means is you don't believe in god(s).